Necktie holder



1966 c. o. LAWHORN 3,268,088

NECKTIE HOLDER Filed May 21, 1964 INVENTOR CARL O. LAWHORN AGENT UnitedStates Patent 3,268,088 NECKTHE HOLDER (Iarl 0. Lawhorn, Knoxville,Tenn. (Rte. 5, Box 265, Lenoir City, Tenn.) Filed May 21, 1964, Ser. No.369,100 3 Claims. (Cl. 211113) This invention relates to a necktieholder and specifically to a holder for pre-tied four-in-hand neckties.

Increasing acceptance of pre-tied fonr-in-hand neckties by the malefraction of the buying public and consequential increasing personalstores of pre -tied neckties have brought forward the need for anefficient storage means for these neckties. Known holders for pre-tiedneckties utilize, as a grasping point for storing, the lateral wings ofthe usual plastic clip providedon pre-tied neckties as a foundation forthe knot and for use in securing the necktie to the shirt of the wearer.To store a pre-tied necktie on these prior art holders, the wings are tobe fitted into slots provided in the holder. This mode of supportrequires excessive time and needless effort in installing the wings intothe slots which must necessarily be small in order to retain the wings,hence the necktie. This limita tion of the prior art holders iscompounded by the inadequate lighting frequently found in clothesclosets, the usual location of stored neckties. Further, some plasticclips for pre-tied neckties are not provided with lateral wings andtherefore cannot be stored on the prio rart holders. Moreover, the priorart holders do not possess the capability of storing a multiplicity ofpre-tied neckties from a single holder suspendable from the hook, rod ortubular rack normally present in the usual clothes closet.

It is therefore an object .of my invention to provide a pre-tied-necktieholder to which a pre-tied four-in-hand necktie may be positivelysecured and removed therefrom with a minimum of effort.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a singlepointsuspendable pre-tied necktie holder for storing of a multiplicity ofpre-tied neckties thereon and which, alternatively, may be secured on awall, door or other fiat vertical surface.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a necktie holder forpre-tied neckties whose pre-tied knots are formed on a foundation clipeither with or without lateral Wings thereon.

It is a further object to provide a necktie holder inexpensive tomanufacture.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be evident from aconsideration of the following description and the accompanying figuresin which:

FIG. 1 is a view, in perspective, of a necktie holder according to myinvention and showing pre-tied neckties of two types suspendedtherefrom, one type having lateral wings on its clip means and onewithout such lateral wings,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the necktie-receiving shelf element of myinvention and showing neckties stored thereon, and

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the shelf element of FIG. 2 and alsoshowing neckties stored thereon.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of my invention, one mayvisualize a conventional garment hanger 5 of substantially triangularconfiguration having laterally inclined side members 6 and 7interconnected at their lowermost ends by a horizontal member 8 andbeing supportable in a substantially vertical plane by a hook means 9located at the apex of said triangular configuration. Mounted on saidhanger 5 is a shelf member 10 extending along a substantial portion ofthe length of each of side members 6 and 7 and projecting horizontallytherefrom. Along one of its edges 11, shelf member 10 contacts sidemembers 6 and 7. For purposes of description,

shelf member 10 may be described as an elongated strip of preferablyplastic material centrally bent to conform, in angle, generally to theincluded angle formed by sides 6 and 7 of hanger 5 where said sides joinat hook 9. In its centermost portion and near its edge 11, shelf member10 is provided with an opening 12 for receipt of hook 9 therethrough.Opening 12 is selected of such size that hook 9 will fit snugly therein.Thus the central portion of shelf member 10 is precluded from movingwith respect to hanger 5. Portions of the extreme ends of shelf 10 arebent downwardly to form depending lips 14 and 14 of small size, one oneach end. Lips 14 and 14' are each provided with a longitudinal slot 4and 4, respectively, coextensive in length with the downwardly bentportion forming said lip 14 and 14' and of a width approximating atleast the diameter of a side 7 of hanger 5. When shelf 10 is mounted ona conventional wire garment hanger 5, each slot 4 and 4' receives a side6 and 7, respectively, of hanger 5 therein. It is thus that when shelf10 is fitted onto hanger 5, the ends of shelf 10 are precluded frommovement with respect to hanger 5. An alternate means for securing thelateral portions of shelf 10 to hanger 5 is to provide, one on eitherside of hook 9, a small clip means to the bottom of shelf 10 adjacentside 11 thereof. A pair of depending lugs sufliciently spaced apart toreceive therebetween a side of hanger 5 will suffice as said clip means.

If desired, one may, restricted entrance into 6 and 7 will snap intoslot.

Shelf member 10 is provided along its unattached edge 19 with amultiplicity of laterally spaced, substantially annular slots 16 in opencommunication with said edge 19 for the receipt of pre-tied necktiestherein. Each slot 16 comprises an annular body portion 17 having adiametral dimension substantially greater than the smallest dimension ofthe knot of a pre-tied necktie but less than the largest dimension ofsaid knot and a mouth portion 18 substantially less in width than bodyportion 17 but equal to or greater in width than the most narrow widthof the knot of a pre-tied necktie.

Two typical types of pre-tied neckties are depicted in the figures. Onetype 24 (FIG. 1) possesses a clip having only a single hook 23 centrallylocated in the back of the pre-tied knot 25. Another type 20 possesses ahook 21 centrally located in the back of the pre tied knot 26 andlateral wings 22 and 22. From the figures and the preceding description,one may visualize that in storing a pre-tied necktie on my holder, themost narrow width of the knot of a pre-tied necktie, which normally infabricating shelf 10, provide a each slot 14 and 14 so that sidesengagement with their respective exists immediately adjacent thelowermost portion of the pre-tied knot of such necktie, is insertedthrough mouth portion 18 of slot 16, and passes into body portion 17 ofthe slot. Upon fully passing into slot 16, the necktie, when released,seats itself in said slot, being precluded from passing downwardlythrough slot 16 by the pre-tied knot, and thereby. adopts a verticallysuspended attitude. In removing a p-restied necktie from the shirt, onenormally grasps the necktie by the knot. It is a simple, natunalmovement, not requiring a specific mode of grasping of the knot, fromthe shirt and into one of the slots provided in my holder. Only one slotis required for each necktie and this slot is sufficiently large to belocated without undue searching in a poorly lighted clothes closet.

Each slot 16 is designed to preclude inadvertent sliding of a seatednecktie from the holder. This is especially important where neckties arestored amongst the variety of items normally found in a clothes closetand undergo extensive shufiling over a period of time. Moreover, theannular configuration of the body portion of each slot performs asignificant function in the removal of a necktie from its position ofstorage on my holder. When one desires to remove a necktie from a slotvia the restricted mouth portion 18, he will be required to lift thenecktie slightly until that portion of the necktie immediately adjacentthe lowermost portion of its pre-tied knot is adjacent mouth portion L8.Then the necktie may be passed out through mouth portion 18. Difficultyin passing the necktie out through mouth portion 18 is precluded by theannular configuration of slot 18, the walls thereof aiding in theremoval maneuver by providing guidance to the necktie in the directionof mouth portion 18. As may be visualized from the foregoing descriptionand the figures, stored neckties will not be dislodged by tilting orjostling of my holder.

The preferred choice of support means is an embodiment possessingdownwardly inclined lateral projections as distinguished from horizontallateral projections. This preferred construction design operates, whenused in combination with a central single-point suspension means such asa hook, to maintain substantially the same degree of horizontalorientation of the support means when empty or when carrying anunbalanced burden of neckties. For example, a single necktie, whenresiding near the end of a horizontally held shelf member, will rotatethe support means about its single point of suspension to a greaterextent than is true of the preferred shelf memher having inclinedlateral portions and bearing the same necktie in a like position. Thepreferred included angle for the centrally bent shelf member 10disclosed herein is approximately 120. A lesser included angle fails torealize the full benefit of inclination and a greater included angleoffers no significant advantage of reduced rotation as relates tosupport of neckties.

The preferred construction material for shelf 10 is a lightweightplastic. Whereas shelf 10 could be fabricated with an integral hookmeans and self-supporting lateral portions, its small mass would beinsuflicient to constitute a suitable stable holder for pro-tiedneckties, in that excessive swivel action about the single point ofsupport would occur. As a result of this excessive swivel action, storedneckties are susceptible to disengagement from their slot. The inclinedlateral projections hereinbefore described alleviate this problemregardless of the construction material of shelf 10. A furtheralleviating contribution is realized by the symetrically arrayed mass ofthe wire garment hanger which provides a stabilizing force to my holderin the preferred form.

A further advantage accruing from the choice of a conventional garmenthanger is the support provided to the lateral portions of shelf 10 dueto the rigidity of the hanger sides. Still further, by securing theshelf to the hanger along one edge of the shelf, said shelf projectshorizontally in substantially only the forward direction. The back ofthe hanger and shelf are thus essentially flush and the holder may besuspended from a rod as any other garment hanger or from a hook or nailprovided on the closet wall. In the latter instance, the shelfbearinghanger will lie substantially flat against the wall.

It is preferred to fabricate shelf member 10 of a plastic of the styreneclass by conventional injection molding techniques. As described in thepreferred embodiment of my invention, it is anticipated that shelfmember 10 will be manufactured as a separate item to be mounted on aconventional wire garment hanger. It is recognized that shelf member 10can be integrally formed with a garment hanger or like support means bymolding techniques known in the art.

The description of a conventional wire garment hanger as the supportmeans for shelf 10 is intended to present a preferred embodiment. Myinvention should not be interpreted as being limited to a wire garmenthanger but as including other suitable support means comprising a hookand lateral projections for receipt of shelf 10. Wire garment hangersare inexpensive and readily procurable from existing sources. Their usein combination with a plastic shelf member provides an inexpensiveholder.

I claim:

1. A necktie holder for pre-tied neckties comprising the combination ofsingle-point suspension mount means having lateral extensions, saidmeans and extensions adapted for mounting in a substantially verticalplane, an elongated shelf member secured along one of its edges to saidlateral extensions and extending at substantially right angles therefromin a horizontal direction, and a multiplicity of open recesses in theunattached edge of said shelf member for receipt of pre-tiedfour-in-hand neckties therein.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said open recesses comprise mouthand body portions, said mouth portion being substantially more narrowthan the width of said body portion and at least as wide as the mostnarrow width of the knot of said pre-tied necktie, said body portionhaving a diametral dimension substantially greater than the smallestdimension of the knot of a pro-tied necktie but less than the largestdimension of said knot.

3. A necktie holder for pre-tied neckties comprising, in combinationwith a conventional garment hanger, an elongated shelf member centrallybent to create an angle essentially equal to the included angle formedby the sides of said hanger where they join to form a hook, said shelf,along one of its edges, residing atop said hanger sides for asubstantial distance along said sides, extending horizontally therefromand having an opening in its centerrnost portion for passage of saidhook therethrough, means securing said shelf to said hanger sides, amultiplicity of annular slots in open communication with the unattachededge of said shelf for receipt of pre tied neckties therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,242,017 10/1917Mendelsohn 2ll39 2,578,383 12/1951 Tomarin 223-98 2,605,000 7/1952Tomarin 211-113 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

K. J. WINGERT, Assistant Examiner,

1. A NECKTIE HOLDER FOR PRE-TIED NECKTIES COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OFSINGLE-POINT SUSPENSION MOUNT MEANS HAVING LATERAL EXTENSIONS, SAIDMEANS AND EXTENSIONS ADAPTED FOR MOUNTING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALPLANE, AN ELONGATED SHELF MEMBER SECURED ALONG ONE OF ITS EDGES TO SAIDLATERAL EXTENSIONS AND EXTENDING AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES THEREFROMIN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, AND A MULTIPLICITY OF OPEN RECESSES IN THEUNATTACHED EDGE OF SAID SHELF MEMBER FOR RECEIPT OF PRE-TIEDFOUR-IN-HAND NECKTIES THEREIN.